


Dream-Lestat

by Konekochan07



Series: My Vivid Dreams [1]
Category: Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-28 11:08:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7637728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Konekochan07/pseuds/Konekochan07
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I had a dream about this and wrote it up...I wanted to post it on Luna, but they don't allow anything in this fandom, so here you go...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dream-Lestat

**Author's Note:**

> This is about a woman who met Lestat long ago, while she tries to find him again...

Enough was enough.

She had been kidnapped, raped, forced into work, and had to patent her ideas as his. No more.

She could live with the first offense: kidnapping. No one really missed her and she didn't have anywhere else to go. And even the second offense, rape, wasn't too upsetting, considering she was a prostitute beforehand just so she could survive. Even the third, forcing her to work, wasn't too bad, since it gave her something to do. But the final offense - patenting her ideas as his? She couldn’t accept that. So she didn't do it.

She pretended to. She patented them under her name, and then had the checks from those that bought the patents sent to his address. She checked the mail anyways, so he didn't know any better. Besides, the patents she had filed under him before she realized his greed were bringing in more than enough money for him.

It was time for her to leave.

His business 'partner', and the term is loosely used since he had no say in what happened anymore, felt he should leave too. But he wouldn't leave without another of the 'employees'. She decided to talk with him.

She had already planned to take Raimi and Felicia with her. They had started in the same business before being lured by Tony. They just needed someone to help them, since they weren't aggressive enough to leave on their own.

She talked with Greg, the business 'partner', and told him of her plan. He promised to help, and come with, if she could get Raimi to agree.

She talked it over amongst the four of them one night, while Tony was drunk. He awoke at one point, looking for any of the 3 girls, so she helped put him to bed again while the others pretended to be elsewhere. She gave them a week to grab their most precious belongings.

When it was the day to leave, they acted normal. Since she had packed the car when no one else was awake, they didn't know that her suitcases were full of cash from all the checks that were actually made out to _her_. They didn't know her car was packed with anything. Once Tony was asleep after another drunken tirade, they made their move.

She owned an old, beat up station wagon. It really needed to be replaced, as pointed out by Tony numerous times, but it still worked. The only problem was that she was the only of the quartet that could drive it, since it was a manual transmission. And closing its doors couldn't be done very quietly.

So she rolled it out of the driveway and onto the street before they closed all the doors, locked them, and she started the car. Tony could be seen by the door when the car started. They sped out of the area and never looked back.

  


Leaving from Atlanta can be a nightmare, no matter when, but they managed easily enough. Once they were on Interstate 20, heading west, she told the others to relax and get some sleep. The adrenaline kept her going for quite a while.

About noon the next day, Felicia said they needed to stop so she could get snacks and use the bathroom. Her metabolism made it where she needed to eat a lot, unless she was asleep. Raimi added that now would be a good idea for everyone to stretch, maybe eat, use the bathroom, and stock up on other supplies. She allowed it.

They stopped at a truck stop and had lunch, with lots of coffee. Then the others went to grab snacks, use the bathroom, and anything else they really wanted with the money she gave them. She filled the gas tank while they did this. Once Greg returned to the car, she had him watch it while she bought her snacks and used the bathroom. Once everyone was back, they headed west again.

  


"Are we going to stop in New Orleans?" Greg had remembered that they had grabbed her from there. He was wondering if they were going back there. It might be the first place Tony looked.

"No. We're not leaving I20 until Dallas."

"Texas?" Raimi had never been farther west than Louisiana. Once she nodded, Raimi continued, "Where exactly are we going?"

"LA."

"Ooh…LA. Wait, why?" Felicia had never been out of New Orleans until Tony, and after Tony, never out of Atlanta.

"I know someone who may be there."

"Really? How?" Raimi and Felicia had never asked her questions about herself before. Raimi looked at Felicia, who looked at her and shrugged.

"It's…complicated. Let's just say that I should know someone in LA, unless they left."

"Why would you leave LA?" Felicia had a dreamy look on her face. "I mean, it's supposed to be the City of Angels."

She snorted, making the two girls stare at her. "Tell that to the many girls on the street chasing fame and fortune."

Greg chimed in after that. "Yeah, for someplace called the 'City of Angels', it sure has a funny way of showing it."

"However," she smiled, lighting up her entire face, "it isn't bad if you have connections. And though I may not have many, I should," she emphasized 'should' again, "have one. Even if I can't find him, I should be able to use his name to help us."

"So…what are we going to do in LA? Movies? Music?"

"Since none of us are script writers or actors, I was thinking music. I do have some copyrighted, and others I bought rights to. It'd be a good start."

"I do know how to play a synthesizer." Raimi looked a little unsure of herself. "It's been a while, so I'd need to practice."

"I can play drums. Or work a drum machine…" Felicia didn't look the part of drummer, but she didn't say anything about that.

"I can run recording equipment. I just need some we can use." Greg did have a lot of talents. He was definitely their 'Jack of all trades'.

"Don't worry too much about it until we get closer. We're only in Mississippi."

"Are we going to stop somewhere for the night?"

"We're going to stop somewhere near Monroe, Louisiana. We can all rest and I can see about getting a new car so I'm not the only one driving."

"So we can put more distance between us and Tony." Raimi liked the idea. Tony had brought Raimi in not too long after her, so the two were close. Raimi, 25, though she still looked 15, had been taken in six months after her, making it almost 5 years since it started.

"I get to see more of the US!" Felicia sounded like a kid on vacation. Considering she had been on the streets of New Orleans for as long as she could remember, only to be taken to a home in Atlanta, all of them could see why. She was also the youngest of the group, at barely 18.

Greg, 30, had been in with Tony since they were both 15. They had started together, making money hand over fist. It was great for them both, until Greg started to fall for Raimi and Tony only wanted more money for himself.

She, on the other hand, had been around. They didn't know much about her, and she kept it that way. No one needed to know her age. They didn't need to know her secrets. They might just get killed with that sort of information right now.

Once they got to Monroe, they stopped at a small, barely livable hotel. "We need to lay low," she said. They doubled up in two adjoining rooms: Greg and Raimi in one, Felicia and her in the other. Once Felicia was asleep, she left to look around.

She found a car lot not too far away that had another station wagon. It was the same brand and same model, but much newer, with GPS and everything, and it was an automatic.

The next morning, while Felicia was still asleep, she knocked on Greg's door. He answered. "I need you to make sure Felicia is up by nine. We'll leave once I get the car all set up."

He nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure she's up and we're all packed." She started to turn to leave. "Hey," he started, making her turn back to face him, "are you ok? You don't look great."

She gave a wry smile. "If there was one thing Tony was good at, it was calming my frustrations. Even if he wasn't pleasant about it…"

Greg somewhat blushed. He had forgotten about Tony's bragging about her. "Sorry…"

"Don't be. I would rather be frustrated right now than back there. I'll find someone to calm me later."

"Ok…" Greg shut the door behind him. She could hear him talking to Raimi, letting her know they would be leaving around nine.

She went back down to the car dealership, now that it was open, and drove her old, now empty, car in. "Looking for a new car, miss?"

"Yes, but I already found one." She smiled, then pointed at the car she noticed the night before. "I'd like that one, please."

"Well, at least you're a lady who knows what she wants. Are you sure you don't want another manual?"

"I'll be sharing with some friends, and none of them can drive a manual."

"I see. Alright then. Let's go fill out the paperwork and…what's that bag, ma'am?"

"It's the money to pay you with. I don't like banks, you see. They always want their pound of flesh too. So I deal strictly in cash. That's not a problem, I trust?" She did see the same car in other lots, so she just had to make sure she found a place that would deal in cash.

"Not a problem at all. Just wondering." Perhaps it was her smile. He seemed to think there couldn't be a problem with this girl.

"Then, shall we start on all the paperwork?"

The paperwork filled out and filed, she took her new car over to the hotel. They noticed her as she pulled into the lot. "So, where are we going?"

"Just across town. I have us two rooms in a nicer hotel for until the registration and such arrives."

"How long will that take?" Greg sounded worried.

"Only a couple of days. Not many car sales this time of year. Don't worry. It'll take time for Tony to sober up and actually think about going to the police."

"He's got a lot of friends in high places."

"I've got friends in low places, and they can at least help buy us time."

"What do you mean?"

"She means our network." Raimi remembered certain things about being on the streets. "We may be prostitutes and homeless, but even we move once in a while. We'll save enough money to go somewhere else, whether because it's warmer, or someone said they got paid better, or whatever reason."

She nodded. "I just talk to some of the girls here and see if any want to move down to New Orleans, or maybe to Atlanta, or any city in between. Once there, they can keep Tony's friends busy." She smiled. "Besides, maybe I can find someone from out west who can help me figure out if my contact is still in LA."

"Alright. I take it we stay here until you return?"

"No. If I don’t return by the time the registration and such get here, leave without me. I may be captured or had to divert them from you."

"If you say so…"

"I do say so. Until I come back or the registration gets here, lay low." They nodded to her, showing they understood. She left, after changing into attire that wouldn't scare the girls away, and headed for a shadier section of town.

  


She returned the next morning. She was tired, a little bruised, and ached all over.

"Find anything out?" Felicia was actually awake when she came in. "Or were you too busy?"

"I wasn't working…" She sighed and flopped onto her bed. "I found that, as far as anyone knows, my contact is still in LA. And there are some girls leaving for New Orleans and such tonight, so they'll spread the word about slowing any searches for us."

"Great. And why you look so exhausted."

"Nerve calming."

"I see. But you weren't working…"

"I was a paying customer."

"Ah…I guess that was the only reason we put up with Tony for so long, huh?" Felicia, like her, had gone into prostitution, not just out of need for money, but other needs as well. Though Felicia had started younger, and had been with them for half of her time, the two shared a close bond. "I know Raimi only did it for food. Her appetite isn't as…what's the word?"

"Voracious?"

"Yeah! Her appetite isn't as voracious as ours."

"Precisely. Which is why she jumped at Tony's offer. Once she realized what she was getting into, she was too timid to go back to the streets or to leave at all. That's why I had to talk her into this."

"You told her Greg would come if she did."

"And it was true."

"Yep. Why are you taking all of us to LA? Why not dump us somewhere and go yourself?"

"I'd worry about you all." She rolled onto her side to watch the young red-head. Felicia just rolled her eyes. "I mean it. You, me, Raimi…we're all alike. Greg loves Raimi. I can understand that. But none of us can really make it on our own. Right now, we need each other. Someone to get you food, make sure Greg and Raimi have a fresh start together, and make sure I don't stop on the way to LA and never get back on the road."

"You're worried that if you didn't have us to worry about, you'd go right back to the streets."

"And Tony will probably find me, beat me, and either kill me or drag me back. I will not let that happen. But to be sure of that not happening, I need you guys with me. It's selfish, I know."

"But I don't mind. You're worried about me. I think you're the first person who's ever done that."

"You are like a little sister, Felicia. You're the youngest of us."

"Are you ever going to tell us about your life before Tony?"

"Perhaps. Once we get to LA, then you can ask again."

"Fine. Go get cleaned up."

She got up, ruffled Felicia's hair, and did just that.

  


"Mail's here," Greg called from the hall. How long had she been asleep? "Are you awake in there?"

"I am. I'm not so sure about her," she heard Felicia answer.

"I'm awake…"

"Oh…good. I was wondering how long you were going to sleep. You slept longer than I did."

"What day is it?"

"Monday. And yes, it is morning."

"Shit. You should have woken me yesterday."

"Why? You needed the sleep. And don't say that you didn't." Felicia was actually acting like an adult. It surprised her.

"Alright."

"Registration's in here," Greg called from the hall.

"Great. Let's get packed up and moving then." They had left between Thursday and Friday, so Tony would be sober enough to start looking for them soon.

They drove to Dallas, following I20. They stopped there for food, gas, and snacks, then hopped onto I35 to Oklahoma City. Then they headed west on I40, until they reached Albuquerque.

"We'll have to stop here for some sleep. None of us are really up to driving right now." They had switched off on driving every once in a while, slowing them a little. She was ready for at least a horizontal surface to sleep on. "Let's find a hotel and crash for a while. We should be in LA by tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan." Felicia was driving. She took the next exit with a mediocre hotel on it and they stopped for the night.

  


When she awoke, she was early, as usual. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't get off of that schedule from so long ago. She got up, showered, and had one of her snacks as breakfast, then woke Felicia. "Time to get up. It's almost eight."

Felicia woke with a start. "Oh. It's just you. I was having a bad dream that it was Tony."

"Well, that's why I woke you now. Get a quick shower and eat something. Then make sure all of your things are packed up." Felicia nodded, so she left to knock on Greg's door. "Greg. Raimi. We need to get moving soon." She could hear the shower start after she spoke.

"Ok. Give us a little bit to shower, eat, and pack." Raimi had gotten used to the routine. Usually, at Tony's, it was shower, eat, and work. But since they were running, with very few belongings, it had changed to shower, eat, and pack.

"That's fine. I'll meet you at the car."

"Kay."

She went back to her room. Felicia was in the shower, so she started packing her things that were left out. She finished just as Felicia got out, clothes on, dirty clothes in her hands, towel over her hair. "Hey. Give me a sec and I'll finish packing my bag, ok?"

"Sure. No rush."

"Well, my clothes are the only things I haven't packed yet. When we get to LA, are we going to be able to replace clothes and makeup and such?"

"Yes. We'll have to. We'll need that stuff if we're going to do music too."

"Yeah. Well, all done." Felicia zipped up her bag.

"Just leave it there. I take it all your snacks are still in the car?" Felicia nodded. "Then here," she started, handing Felicia the keys, "go put these in the car and get your food. I'm going to grab some bottled water from the vending machine."

Felicia did as she was told, though she did lock herself in the car once she put the bags in the back. She knocked on the window when she finished getting the water. Felicia unlocked the car and handed her the keys.

"Now, we're just waiting on the couple."

"Yep. I wonder if they're showering together."

"Even if they are, they know we don't have time to waste waiting for them to finish _that_. They can do that all they want when we get to LA. Speak of the devil…"

Raimi and Greg left the lobby and approached the car, half running, half power-walking. Greg was carrying the bags behind Raimi, who opened the back once she got to it. "Sorry. The hot water went out and nearly scared me to death."

"No problem. Ready to go?"

Raimi nodded. Greg nodded once the bags were in and the back was closed. Felicia got out of the car and moved to the passenger side front seat, so Greg and Raimi could spend time together in the back. She drove.

They drove all day, stopping only once for lunch and gas, and made LA by nightfall.

She was right about using his name to get contacts. Knowing his name, his full name, she was able to rent time with some recording equipment the next day. She also found out that, yes, he was still in LA. The others listened to her on the phone. "Then, if you talk to him, let him know I called? No, no name. Just tell him that New Orleans was lonely without him. He'll understand. And if he asks, since he probably will, yes, I am in a little trouble, but nothing I can't handle. Ok. Tomorrow at noon. Right. Thanks again. Buh-bye."

"So?"

"Tomorrow at noon, we can work on recording for about an hour or two. It depends on if the people at one o'clock show up after already cancelling their time."

"At least we have something to do tomorrow. No more running?" Raimi looked tired.

"Not unless Tony flies here, and you know he hates flying."

"Yeah. It'll take him a while to get here. He's used to luxury. He'll have to make reservations and search. That takes time." Greg was hugging Raimi to him.

"Go get some sleep, you two. We'll be fine. Even if Tony does get here, it'll be far too late for him to find us."

This seemed to reassure Raimi, who cuddled into Greg and let him escort her out.

"How's this guy you know going to find you? This…Lestat guy?"

"I worked the same job when I knew him, for a while. He'll probably look for me where you look for any prostitute in a city."

"So…off to the streets?"

"Maybe…" she was smiling wryly. "Maybe I'll make him think I'm with a client already and not be on the streets until tomorrow…"

"Don't make the poor boy squirm…"

"He left me in New Orleans." That one statement made Felicia shiver from the emotion put into it. It almost sounded like pure rage.

"At least he didn't leave you at the altar…"

"I suppose that would be worse. Then I'd have to kill him…" _Though I'd waste such an interesting person…_

"And I suggest waiting a little bit. They had to know where the number was from, and you gave the room number for any messages from them, so I'm sure they'll -" The phone rang, making her jump. Felicia smiled. "See. I'm sure they'll give him the number."

She answered the phone, after letting it ring again. "Hello?"

  


_~Elsewhere~_

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was shaky, like she was nervous.

"Cheri?"

The sigh of relief could almost be felt over the phone. "So it is you. You had me nervous for a minute…"

"You did say you were in trouble. Are you sure you can handle it?" He nearly cursed himself for letting the worry be heard in his voice.

"You're worried about me." The voice had deadpanned. It made him nervous. He had not forgotten to look for her. He just hadn't gotten to do it before he had left for LA.

"Cheri, I-"

"Don't bother apologizing. It won't help you. I had heard rumors you had come here. It's the only reason why I set out for here. I didn't expect you to actually still be here." There was nothing in her voice. No emotion, no sympathy, no choking back sobs, only…exhaustion.

"I shall come for you-"

"Don't bother. I'm too tired to deal with it tonight. Besides, I hear you have a concert to do. Worry about me tomorrow."

"I always worry about you, Cheri. It is why I have been working so hard to find you."

He could hear the disbelief in her voice as she answered that. "Working to find me? I'm not a missing puppy!" He had to hold the phone farther from his ear. She was yelling now. "It's not like I could _afford_ to move on my own! And before you even come back for me, I'm kidnapped by some _jackass_ who thinks I'm property!" She takes a deep breath. She's going to yell more. "And don't you _dare_ start about how, when you were old enough to first marry, women _were_ property!"

He was starting to get amused. Her ranting always seemed to amuse him. "I would never, Cheri."

"I'm not done!" He heard someone else on the other end, then near silence for a moment.

"Excuse me," a younger feminine voice was now on the line, "but what exactly did you do to her? I'd let you talk to her more, but she nearly threw the phone into the wall and went to the bathroom…And now she's in the shower."

"She does that when she's upset."

"I know, but it takes a lot to upset her like that. I only ever heard her go off on Tony like that once, and that was the first year I was there."

"Tony?"

"You don't know..?" She went silent. Obviously, something had happened while he was gone.

"What is it?"

"Well…I'm not sure if I should tell this story. I wasn't there as long. Hold on a second." He heard the phone being set on the table. Heard as she called, "Greg!" Heard the quiet discussion and explanation of who was on the phone.

"Hello?" A male voice this time. For some reason, he was annoyed with this for a moment. "Felicia said I should talk to you about what happened 5 years ago, though she didn't give me much as to why."

"What did this Tony do?"

"Felicia, what are you wanting me to do here?"

She was nearly yelling. "Tell him about what happened to her! I've only been with you guys for 2 years! She was the first, so tell him what happened, since _he's_ the reason she came out here in the first place!"

"Ah," that short phrase held understanding and shame all at once. "I see. So you're Lestat."

"I am."

"Well…where do I start..?"

"The beginning is usually best."

"I see where she gets her sense of humor from…Anyways, I guess that's as good a place as any…"

  


"Tony and I started inventing together. Everyday items, specialty items, whatever we could think of. And we were kids when we started, barely 18. When we started getting rich, we were on top of the world. And we didn't bother growing up…

Five years ago, we went to New Orleans. Tony wanted to see the town. He'd never been out of Atlanta before. And really, neither had I, so I figured, why not? He had started drinking that night, more than normal. We were running out of ideas and I think he was worried about running out of cash, so he was trying to think and failing. He drinks when that happens. I was trying to console him, though I was also drunk, when she walked into the bar. We didn't know, or at least, I didn't know, that it was close to the red light district. I guess Tony did…

Tony, after noticing her, looking her up and down, and grinning like a madman, got up and went over to her. He was trying to sweet-talk her, which he didn't do well when he was drunk. Oddly, it seemed to work. I had already known a few bad things about my partner and decided to go over to warn her, when they both came over to me.

It seems Tony had talked her into spending the night with both of us. I was too drunk and too embarrassed to remember why I wanted to warn her at that point, so I simply nodded and went with it.

When I had woken up and sobered up, she was still sleeping, curled away from where either of us had been. Tony was awake and sober, but he was staring at her with this odd look on his face, like he wanted to keep her. Now that I think about it, I guess it's better to say-"

"He wanted to keep me chained in a room to use as he wanted." Her shower was done, obviously. "And who said you could tell him this!?"

"I think he ought to know what happened to piss you off so much." Felicia, as he was sure was the younger girl, seemed defensive and slightly angry.

He heard her fall into a chair and sigh. "Fine. Go ahead, Greg, continue. We don't want you here all night, or Raimi will worry."

"Oh. Ok." Greg sounded far too meek to be someone she would spend that sort of time with, so his annoyance of him diminished. "But, yeah. He seemed to want to possess her, keep her, and I think, control her. He carried her, sheet and all, to our car, placed her in the back seat, told me to get in, and drove us back to Atlanta. He would use her, abuse her, steal her ideas, and then think she had it great. I guess she had finally had enough and brought us out here."

"Who is us?"

"Felicia, Raimi, myself, and her…"

"Gimme that," he heard before air whistled through the phone a bit. "Are you happy now that you've heard what you left me to?"

"It was not my idea, Cheri. It was that girl's."

"Her name's Felicia."

"Then it was Felicia's idea, Cheri. Who is this Greg to you, Cheri?"

"Oh, now you're jealous. Lucky for both you and Greg, I'm not interested. And neither is he. He has Raimi, which is somewhat surprising when you know that that's the whole reason Tony brought her."

He heard Greg in the background. "What?"

"Raimi was so you wouldn't be lonely at night. Sure, Tony was going to use her as he wanted when you weren't around, but you were _always_ around, so she was safe. I helped make sure of that. And Felicia was so he had a younger girl around in case he got tired of me. I'm sure he bragged to you when he was drunk, judging from your blush a few days ago."

"He harmed you, Cheri, this Tony?"

It was phrased as a question, but even she could hear the rage in his tone. "He's not the first." Her voice was quiet, almost timid, like she was talking to her father now.

Lestat started cursing in French. Then, it sounded like he had started crying. " _Comment pourrais-je permettre que cela se produise ?_ " **1**

"Lestat…" her anger had ebbed away long ago with the shower. He usually meant well, but he couldn't seem to figure out what he really wanted, one way or another. "Lestat, calm down. I'm ok." He was not calming, she could tell. He was still muttering in French about how he should have been there, should have kept her safe. "Lestat… _Ce n'est pas votre défaut._ " **2**

"I didn't know she spoke French…" Greg's stunned voice could be heard in the background.

"You couldn't tell that he was French? With a nickname of 'Cheri'?" Felicia was better educated than many thought. "Besides, we're from New Orleans. Of course we know French."

"You're from New Orleans, Felicia. I am not."

He had calmed, a little. "Cheri, have you not told them?"

"I tell nothing to strangers, Lestat. You know that. But after this, we're not strangers. Bring Raimi in here. I'll tell you guys about my past once I'm done here on the phone."

"You should not have to tell them, Cheri."

"I don't have to…" He could hear the smile in her voice. "I want to. Come over tomorrow. You know where we are." She hung up.

  


Raimi came in after Greg went to get her. "What's going on?"

"She's going to tell us her past, before Tony." Felicia looked excited.

"Oh…" Raimi still seemed confused.

"Stuff happened with her boyfriend. She's calmed down enough and wants to tell us about it." Felicia was smiling. Felicia's life was an open book, Raimi's was too, even Greg's was easy to learn, but hers was a mystery.

**Author's Note:**

>  **1:** For those that don't know French: _How could I allow this to happen?_  
>  **2:** And the other French sentence: _It's not your fault._
> 
> And that's all, because that's the end of my dream...and there's not really anything else I want to add to it right now...


End file.
